1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a microfilm reader/printer and a microfilm used therein, and particularly to a microfilm reader/printer capable of printing out any desired frame of a microfilm automatically at a magnification so that the printed image has the same dimensions as of the original which has been photographed and recorded in the microfilm. The present invention further relates to a unique microfilm which has a mark or unique arrangement to be conveniently used in the microfilm reader/printer as aforementioned.
2. Prior Art
A microfilm reader/printer has been known in the art, wherein images recorded on a microfilm are read and then printed out to provide an enlarged copy of the image. It is generally desirable that the dimensions of the printed image has the dimensions or extension co-extensive with the extension or size of the original document or other material which has been recorded in the microfilm. However, since it is a usual practice that miscellaneous originals, each having a different extension or size, are recorded in one roll of microfilm while respective originals are photographed or otherwise recorded at different reduction ratio, there arises a problem that copy prints each having the extension or size same as that of the corresponding original cannot be made if the recorded images are printed at a constant magnification ratio. As a result, there is a case where the size or extension of the copied image is different from that of the original image.
Accordingly, by the use of such a known microfilm reader/printer, magnification ratio must be determined, for instance, by the operator so that an instruction or command is put in the microfilm reader/printer to render the extension of the copied image co-extensive with that of the original. This requires the operator to take troublesome operations as is the case where the reduction ratios of respective original images are different from each other.